Tenebrae
by dr.evil99
Summary: Raven's past comes to the fore as a new evil rises. Book Two of the Titans Quintet. BBRae RobStar
1. Stigma

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and associated characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being sought and no Copyright infringement is intended.

Note: The following story is a sequel to my fic _The Paragon of Animals. _However, this stands alone enough that you probably don't need to have read it to enjoy this fic. But it might help.

Setting: Post Teen Titans Season 4 (That would be the Trigon arc. Season 5 never happened in my universe.) Not long after the events of _Paragon._

Acknowledgments:

As always, I have to thank my muses.

For Lambbaby:

For lighting the lamp for me.

For CalliopeMused:

For showing me where to shine it.

For Kayasuri-n:

For keeping me moving down the path.

Couldn't do it without you ladies.

****

**Chapter One: Stigma**

****

Beast Boy stared at his reflection in the mirror, willing an expression of what he hoped was intensity on his face.

_Focus, Logan. You can do this..._

Taking several steps back from the mirror on his bedroom wall, he closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind.

_C'mon, I can remember this... I can't have studied for nothing!_

After a moment's searching, he remembered the words. He cleared his throat, and began to speak in broad, expansive tones, addressing his empty room.

"_I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation  
prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the king  
and queen moult no feather. I have of late--but  
wherefore I know not--lost all my mirth, forgone all  
custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily  
with my disposition that this goodly frame, the  
earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most  
excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave  
o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted  
with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to  
me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.  
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!  
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how  
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!  
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the  
world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me,  
what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not  
me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so."_

Beast Boy paused reflectively at the end of his monologue, only to be interrupted in his reverie by a sardonic female voice coming from the doorway behind him.

"'Woman does not delight you?' I find that hard to believe."

Startled, Beast Boy spun, and saw Raven standing in the open entrance to his room, with a slightly amused expression on her face.

Flushing a bit from embarrassment, Beast Boy laughed a little. "Well, uh, certain women delight me. You, especially," he said with a smile.

"I'd better," Raven lowered the hood of her white cloak. Since the 'Beast affair' several months before, the half-demon empath had taken the all-white costume that the Titans had seen on occasions in the past as her standard attire. Beast Boy knew that there was a personal significance to her snowy garb, but whenever he tried to ask her about it, she tended to become somewhat coy. Not that it really bothered him, though. The fact was, she looked lovely. Indeed, almost angelic. Every time he saw her, he couldn't help but be mesmerized.

Not that he had much luck keeping his eyes off her before. But now, at least, given the newly-affirmed relationship they had forged with each other, he didn't have to worry about trying to hide his admiration.

Raven sat on the corner of his unmade bed, eying the growing pile of clutter in the center of the floor. "I seem to recall this room being clean, not too long ago."

Beast Boy took a seat on the floor at her feet, and looked back at her with an impish expression. "Well, yeah, but, that's not my style. It wasn't, y'know..._me."_

"_Oh, _I see... so your slovenliness is a personal trademark, rather than a vice."

"Right."

Raven simply rolled her eyes. "So, what was with the dramatic speech? I recognize that passage... _Hamlet, act ii, scene ii, _if my memory serves."

Beast Boy nodded. "Yep! I uh, decided that I need a hobby, besides playing video games. I mean, one can only play Mega-Monkeys so many times. So I decided to take some acting courses, down at the community college. Just for fun, mostly. I have an audition later today."

Raven looked a little puzzled. "Why acting?"

"Well, remember how I used to be in the Doom Patrol? Rita -I mean Elasti-Girl-she was kinda like a foster mom to me, in those days. And before she was a hero, she used to be an actress, and she used to tell me how much she enjoyed it. So, I guess she kinda rubbed off on me. Besides, it's a good way to relieve stress, I think."

"Shakespeare suits you. You always were kind of a ham."

Without changing his expression one bit, Beast Boy shifted his form, his body flowing into the shape of a large green pig.

Raven's face remained stoic. "That's not funny."

Beast Boy shifted back to his humanoid form. "Well, the set-up wasn't very good. We'll have to work on that, if we're to be a pair. Speaking of pairs, where are the other resident lovebirds?"

"Robin and Starfire had a routine appointment at the Jump City Police Station downtown. Just touching base on a few cases, nothing to serious, they said. After that, I think they said something about stopping for lunch at some Japanese restaurant on the way back. I wouldn't expect them back until just a bit before dinner."

Beast Boy couldn't keep from chuckling a bit, as he got up off of the floor and sat next to her. "Good. Star's a nice influence on Rob. He needs to lighten up." He wrapped an arm around Raven's shoulders, and she leaned close to him, filling his nostrils with her scent. "What about Cy?" he asked.

He saw Raven frown slightly as she laid her head against his shoulder. "I don't know where he's at, actually. I ran into him this morning, around sunrise. He was on his way out the door, said something about having some things to check out."

Beast Boy nodded. "That seems to be a regular thing, lately. I've caught him leaving by himself a few times. When he gets back, he always has an excuse. Do you feel anything odd coming from him, with your empathic sense?"

"No, but then, I can't always get an accurate reading from him," Raven replied. "It may possibly have something do do with half of his brain being electronic. You're his best friend, do you have any idea why he'd be acting so strangely?"

Beast Boy thought a moment. "Maybe. I'm not real sure. We'll let it be, unless he looks like he's getting himself in trouble. No reason to invade his privacy, yet."

"Fair enough," Raven said. "So are you ready for lunch yet? I'm starving."

"Sure, as long as you aren't cooking it."

Beast Boy grinned at Raven's baleful expression as they made their way out of his room.

* * *

Robin sat at the secluded booth near the back of Jump City's most renowned Japanese restaurant, moodily toying with his chopsticks as they waited for their lunch to arrive. 

Starfire, who was seated across from him, spoke softly. "Perhaps you would be less upset if you talked about what is bothering you."

He and Starfire had been a couple for months now, and had been out on quite a few dates, but he couldn't help but still be a little nervous about his relationship with the beautiful alien girl. From her strange manner of speaking, one might assume her to be simple, but nothing was further from the truth. She seemed to have a peculiar insight into Robin's heart, that much was certain. At present, she was attempting to draw him into talking about his present diffidence.

"It's nothing, Starfire."

"I would disagree. You have been most out of sorts ever since we spoke to the new homicide chief at the police department."

Robin certainly didn't want to be reminded of _that. _"He just rubbed me the wrong way, that's all."

Starfire's expression was quizzical "I am... unfamiliar with that particular expression."

Robin couldn't hold the slight smile from his face. "It means he bothers me. Or, in this case, he said something that bothers me."

"Oh?"

"He made a snide remark about me being 'Batman's sidekick.' Apparently, the guy came up on the Gotham P.D., and my former mentor didn't have such a great vibe with the city authorities. They always felt like they were being shown up, and he made little effort to include them in what he did. He thought they were bungling fools; they thought he was an arrogant jerk. They were probably both right."

Starfire nodded. "I see... I suppose I have just taken our working relationship with the police department for granted. Do you think that this will present a problem for us?"

The Titan's leader shook his head. "Don't concern yourself, I can deal with it."

Starfire's face showed a trace of exasperation. "_We _will deal with it," she said with some emphasis. "The Titans are a team. Even though you are our leader, you need to stop trying to take responsibility for everything that happens. If this new homicide chief starts to be a concern, then you should come to us."

Robin rolled his eyes. "You're going to start that again, huh?"

"It is true, Robin. You cannot concern yourself with every small problem that surfaces. "

"I suppose you're right," he said. "And I don't really care what that guy thinks of me, anyway. Being reminded to of the old days just gets me grouchy, that's all. Good thing I've got you to talk some sense into me, when I need it."

Starfire smiled.

Robin decided it was time to change the subject. "Anyhow, there's not much to worry about, crime-wise. The only reason they wanted to talk to me was to let me know that Brother Blood was found dead in prison. They wanted to know if we had any info."

"He was murdered, then?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, and there's no leads. He had a solitary cell, and wasn't allowed to associate with the other prisoners. They opened the door a few days ago, and found him dead on the floor. No signs of struggle, no clear cause of death, yet."

Starfire thought for a moment. "I assume the cell was monitored, since he was a meta-human? If there were no alarms raised, or nothing suspicious on any security footage, then the first place one would have to look would be the prison staff, themselves."

"That's what I was thinking," Robin agreed. "But, I'm not making this a priority. I'll let the regular authorities handle it for now."

"Perhaps Cyborg could examine their security data on their systems, to check for signs of tampering."

"That's an idea. Good thinking, Starfire," Robin said approvingly.

The lovely alien girl blushed rosily. "I am happy to help, as always!"

Their waiter then brought them their first course, a selection of various sashimi items. Star picked up a piece of Edo-style tuna sushi, and looked at it curiously.

"Problem, Starfire?" Robin asked.

"I think there has been some mistake," she said, continuing to examine the sushi. "The chef seems to have forgotten to cook my food."

* * *

Sebastian regarded the huge book before him with a frown. He, like most young men his age, had little patience for most things, and the cryptic words written in the ancient tome were no exception. He believed in actions and results; knowledge was only a means to those ends. But there was little choice but to struggle with the alien language until the nature of the spell was clear to him. It didn't help that the ink was faded to almost nothing. The ancient necromancer that created the grimoire apparently didn't take into account that human skin made poor parchment. 

After several hours of study, though, he was at last almost ready. Burning the strange words into his memory, he rose from the large wooden table that dominated the candlelit chamber, and moved to a circle drawn in red chalk on the stone floor nearby. Within the circle were a small, coal fired metal brazier, and a mirror in a wrought-iron frame. Seating himself within the perimeter, he closed his eyes and cleared his head, summoning the words he had committed to memory.

Before he could begin the spell, he was interrupted by a tentative step at the doorway to his chamber. Looking over, he saw the red-robed form of one of his acolytes. He couldn't place a name with the man's face, not that he particularly cared.

Sebastian stared at the intruder, gratified by the nervous look on his face. "Yes?"

"Master, we have news from our contact in the Jump City Penitentiary," the red-clad man said, keeping his eyes respectfully turned to the floor.

This was news that Sebastian had been anticipating. "Then the deed is done?"

"Yes, Master. Your predecessor has been removed."

This brought a smile to Sebastian's face. The acolyte dared a look to his master's face, then quickly looked away. The spike of fear that Sebastian felt with his mental senses almost made up for being interrupted in the course of his work. Almost.

"That is excellent news, then." Sebastian said mildly.

"Yes, Master. You are now truly Brother Blood."

"The old fool was unworthy of the title from the very start," Sebastian growled with venom in his voice. The very thought of the previous leader of their group lit a spark of anger, deep within his soul. "He turned his back on us. His heretical dalliance with science warped his vision, and we were right to shun him, to cast him out. Not even those weak fools that served him at the H.I.V.E. could save him from the hand of _our _justice. Now, he has paid for his apostasy. Under me, we shall rediscover our purpose. That, I vow."

"Yes, Master," the acolyte said subserviently.

Sebastian regarded his lowly follower with a dark look. "If that is all, you may leave me now."

With a low bow, the acolyte turned to depart.

"One more thing," Sebastian called to him, freezing him in his tracks. "As punishment for intruding upon me, you will immediately go and flog yourself into unconsciousness. Is that clear?" he said in an icy voice.

"Yes, master." With another bow, the red-robed man left.

Sebastian turned his attention back to the mirror before him. As he prepared himself for spellcasting again, he regarded his reflection. His face was youthful; smooth pallid skin beneath a shock of hair that was more colorless than white. During his ascent to his current position, many had failed to take him seriously, due to his age of merely 14 years. Most had not lived long enough to regret their short-sightedness.

Once again finding his mental focus, he began his chant. The words of the spell were guttural and difficult to speak, as was to be expected for a language not meant for humanoid mouthparts. As he continued, the dim light of the candles that illuminated the room seemed to take on a strange reddish cast.

As he neared the conclusion, he reached into robes, and withdrew a small pouch, from which he produced a lock of hair, the soft strands a strange shade of deep violet and bound together with string. He cast the hair into the brazier, which flared red flames.

"_Th'gnatn tklethh... xthan Raven..."_

As the spell was finished, Sebastian stared deep into the mirror as it began to glow. As the image of what he sought was shown to him, he smiled, revealing teeth that had been filed to cruel points.

He was indeed looking forward to what was to come.

* * *

Raven, floating above her bed in a classic lotus position, was roused from her meditation by the beeping of her Titans communicator. Shaking off momentary irritation, she answered. "Yes?" 

"Hiya Rae!"

"Beast Boy, how did the audition go?"

"Ok, I think. I nailed the lines. Then they had me read another scene with this girl who supposed to be playing Ophelia. I think I did ok, but they still have lots of others to audition. So, we'll see."

"I'm sure you impressed them," Raven assured him. "So, you're on you way back?"

"Yes, but I was thinking, it's been quiet around town lately... wanna go out tonight?" he asked.

Raven paused momentarily. "Umm... I don't know, Garfield, we haven't heard out of Cyborg or Robin and Starfire yet."

"Cy's a big boy. And I checked in with Rob about 15 minutes ago. He said he and Star would be in late. They wanted to go to the movies or something. I think that's like code for 'we're going to be making out for a bit, don't wait up for us.' So, how about it? There's a nice new coffee shop that just opened on the west side." Even through the tiny speaker, Raven could hear the hopeful tone of his voice. She had to admit, it was hard to resist him, when he was like this.

"Alright, I suppose it couldn't hurt to get out of the Tower for a bit. You'll meet me back here?"

"Yup! See ya in about half an hour then?"

"That'll give me time to get ready. I'll see you then."

"Great! Bye!"

"Goodbye."

After hanging up, she allowed herself to descend from her floating position, and stood, walking about to work the blood back into her numbed legs.

_I guess it might be nice to go out, after all. Garfield deserves to have something close to a normal relationship. Or as close as I can manage to one, that is._

Raven was still somewhat confused by the nature of what held her and Beast Boy together. To be certain, she didn't see herself as the kind of girl that boys like him would find interesting. She didn't find herself enjoying the things that most people their age engaged in for recreation; trips to the park, or movies, or whatnot. She had often wondered if he would eventually lose interest in her, and drift away. She wouldn't blame him, people had been shunning her for as long as she'd remembered, her own mother, even.

But, Garfield had shown no signs of ever abandoning her in all the months since they had come together. He had always been patient with her moody, quiet nature, and although his clownishness still annoyed her on occasion, those times were much fewer than they had been in the past.

Raven regarded her reflection in the mirror over her dresser. She had told no one what the meaning of her now-white garb, not even Garfield, who was most responsible for the change. She was content, her soul at peace, and her Azerathan garment reflected that. For perhaps the first time ever, she considered herself happy.

In that spirit, perhaps it was time to start acting like a proper girlfriend to they young man she owed so much to. She looked over at her dresser thoughtfully.

_Maybe I should try looking a bit more like a normal girl, too. Might be nice for him, at least._

Starfire had spent the last few months embarking on a make-over program, attempting to find "a new look" for her quiet teammate. Certainly, Raven found such attentions flattering, but some of Starfire's fashion choices were a bit... showy for Raven's personal tastes. But there was a nice slate gray cashmere sweater that was rather flattering, and would suit a cool spring night quite nicely Perhaps the sweater, and some jeans...

As Raven walked over to her dresser, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness overtake her. In fact, she would've fallen to the floor, had she not managed to catch herself. Pressing one hand to her now throbbing head, she could feel perspiration beginning to form on her face.

Feeling weaker by the second, she slumped into the chair that sat facing her dresser. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of her face in the large mirror above it. And what she saw there froze her with terror.

_No... please, no!_

The dressing mirror glowed with ebon light, then shattered into thousands of tiny shards._  
_

_

* * *

_

Cyborg was growing more impatient by the moment. "Quit stalling, one-eye. I know you know where she is!"

The for mer H.I.V.E. student known as Seemore glared back at him with his one enormous eye. "No, I don't. And are you really stupid enough to think I'd tell you if I did?

Cyborg gritted his teeth in annoyance. "You're the last friend Jinx had from her old crew. I know she came to you. You're her only resource left, and she couldn't have evaded the cops and us without help. Like you said, I'm not stupid. Now, start talking!"

Seemore sat down on a dilapidated couch that was about the only furnishing left in the H.I.V.E, student's former base of operations, which had been picked clean of valuables when the criminals had disbanded, some time ago. The one-eyed boy was now it's only denizen. "Look, she's gone. I haven't heard from her. End of story, She's split like most of the other regulars around here. And I'm about to as well. So, ether take me in, or leave me alone."

The cybernetic teen sighed. His quest to find the location of the former villain Jinx had been almost completely fruitless in the time since she aided the Titans against Slade. He wasn't even sure _why _ he was looking for her, really. Something was driving him, some part of his conscience that he hadn't noticed before. "I don't have anything to take you in on, you know that. What's this about all the criminals leaving town?"

Seemore shrugged. "There's been some nasty rumors, lately. There's a new player in the game, and, from what I've heard, he's raising the stakes. Maybe a little too high... I mean, robbery and and stuff plenty fun, but, things are starting to get not fun in the underworld pretty fast. So, I'm leaving, and J-girl probably did too. I doubt she'll be back, if she's as smart as I think she is."

"Who is this new player you're talking about?"

"I dunno, and I don't want to know. All I know is some of the real nasty folk in Jump City were recruited into some sort of new group, and then a lot of the rest started going missing. It's all just rumors, but, rumors are enough for me. Any more, you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Cyborg thought it over. He really didn't have any more reason to hassle Seemore. He could tell he was holding something back about Jinx, but, he had no leverage to use, as Seemore hadn't been implicated in a crime in some time. "I was just worried, that's all. I know your kind and my kind don't really mix, but Jinx was... different. I just want to make sure that she's not in trouble. Too much trouble, anyway."

Cyborg turned to leave the run-down hideout.

"Yo, tin-man!"

He turned to Seemore once more, who was peering intently at him with that strange single eye.

After a long moment, the criminal spoke. "Listen Cyborg, she did come to me for help. I spotted her some money, and set her up with a ride. She left town about a month ago. She didn't say where she was going, or if she'd call. Really, that's all I know."

Cy looked back at him, matching his stare with his own. "Why'd you tell me this?"

"Because she's my friend. I care... and I think you do too," he said. "If you find her, just make sure she's ok, and tell her to get in touch, alright?"

Cyborg nodded. "Fair enough. Thanks, man." Cyborg turned and walked through the door, wondering if fortune would cross his path with that of the pink-haired sorceress... and why he cared so much in the first place.

* * *

Beast Boy exited the elevator into the common room of Titans Tower, which appeared to be deserted. 

"Hey Raven!" he called loudly. "I'm home! It's time to go out on the town."

Hearing no response to his call, he walked into the kitchen, finding it deserted as well.

Perplexed, he re-entered the elevator, and ascended to the upper floor where the living quarters were located. The doors opened, revealing a eerily silent hallway. He proceeded to Raven's door and knocked. "Raven, dear? I'm home."

"...Go away..," came the muted reply through the thick metal.

Something was not right. Raven had told him to get lost plenty of times in the past, but something was definitely wrong with the tone of her voice, this time.

"Raven, what's wrong?" he said, with an anxious note in his voice. "Talk to me, please."

"I-I just want you to go away... just leave me be."

In the past, such words might have driven Beast Boy off, but, many things had changed recently. He knew something was wrong. Something in his gut told him this was bad.

"Raven, I'm coming in now," he called, and tried the electronic switch that opened the door, finding it locked, as he predicted, he quickly used his powers to morph into a tiny ant, and crawled through the ventilation duct adjacent to the door and made his way into the empathic girl's room, returning to his humanoid form upon arrival.

Immediately, he knew why his instincts told him something was wrong. The stench of fear was thick in the air.

"Raven? Where are you?"

He looked about the room, which was in total disarray, broken and overturned furniture all about. Books had apparently been ripped from their shelves and flung about the room as if by a great storm. From the looks of it, Raven had lost control of her telekinetic abilities.

Growing more panicked, he dashed about the room, calling to her. Finally, in the far corner, he saw a small form swathed in a dark indigo cloak. He quickly ran to her side.

"Raven, what happened?" He tried to touch her, but she shrank from his grasp.

"Go away... I don't want you to see me, Garfield..." her voice was small and weak.

"Don't want me to see what?" he said softly as he he reached out to her, and gently lowered the hood that shrouded her head.

She turned her now exposed face to him, and in he felt his heart almost stop in his chest. There, upon her forehead, shone the mark of Scath, burning with malevolent crimson light. He looked her over, and could see the other demon-script markings on her body, all aglow with the same fiery incandescence.

"Oh, Raven..."

She looked at him with terror in her eyes. "I'm so sorry... I don't understand why... Garfield... I'm so afraid!" Her voice was a shaky whisper.

Beast Boy took the trembling girl into his arms, holding her close, hoping he could comfort her. "We'll fix this... I promise..."

  
To Be Continued...  


Author's Notes

Some of you might vaguely recognize Sebastian if you read the comics... My version of him will be a bit different, however.

Like I said, some of you that didn't read the first fic in the series may have missed a few things. But don't worry, knowledge of that story won't be necessary to understand this.

As always, thanks for reading, and please feel free to review!

Regards,

The Doctor

29 May 2006


	2. Blood of the Demon

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry that I've been so long between updates... let's just say that I've had a large dose of real life in the last few months, and it did interfere in my writing. I'll not bore you with the details. But hopefully that unpleasantness is over now.

As always a great debt is owed to my muses: CalliopeMused, Kayasuri-n, Lambbaby, Orange, and Hermitchild. These wonderful ladies have kept me going with their steadfast friendship, support, and threats of maiming. Thank you all very much.

CHAPTER 2: BLOOD OF THE DEMON

Upon receiving the frantic message over their communicators, Robin and Starfire had dashed back to the Tower, arriving almost simultaneously with Cyborg's own return. As Robin dismounted from the R-Cycle, Cyborg brought the T-car to a tire-screeching halt in the garage area.

"I take it you got the call too?" Cyborg asked upon exiting his vehicle.

"Yeah," Robin replied, "Not that Beast Boy gave me too many details. How about you?"

"Not much. Just something about Raven being in some sort trouble. Can't expect that he'd be too coherent if that is the case."

Robin nodded his agreement as Starfire landed next to him. He led them to the elevator that would take them to the Tower proper. "I get the feeling it must be serious, just from the tone of his voice. Lets go."

Upon exiting in the Common Room, the trio found their two comrades seated next to each other upon the couch located in the central area of the room. Robin immediately observed that Raven was garbed in the blue cloak that had been her typical attire for so long, rather than the white she had adopted in recent months. Her face was entirely hidden in the depths of her hood. Beast Boy was seated next to the hooded girl talking to her in soft tones while holding her hand in both of his. Upon their arrival, he looked up at them with a grateful yet tense expression.

"Thanks for coming so quick, guys. Sorry to pull you away from your evenings, but something pretty heavy's going down." Beast Boy remained at her side.

"What has occurred, Beast Boy?" Starfire asked with worry as they gathered around the couple. "Is friend Raven injured? Your summons was most vague."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, but, there was no way I could just tell you about it. You kind of have to see this."

"See what?" Cyborg asked, clearly confused.

Beast Boy turned back to the still-hooded Raven. "You think you'll be alright with this, Rae?"

The half-demon girl nodded ever-so-slightly. "Yes. They need to see this." Taking her hand from her companion's grasp, she lowered her hood, exposing her face. In the center of her brow, in the same spot that the red gem on her Ajna _chakra _ was located, the mark of Scath glowed with dim crimson light.

Everyone was silent for a moment, save for Starfire's shocked gasp. Finally, Robin broke the silence. "Alright, start at the beginning. How did this happen?"

Raven took a deep breath, and began speaking in a quiet, measured voice. "Earlier this evening, I was preparing to meet Beast Boy, and I started to feel... strange. I caught a look at myself in a mirror, and the marks..." her voice broke. After a momentary effort, she gathered herself. "... the marks were there. They've gotten dimmer in the last few minutes."

Starfire immediately sat next to her obviously upset comrade. "Friend Raven, I do not understand. Does this mean that your father is returning? I thought that was impossible."

Raven nodded. "It should be totally impossible. I've read every known scrap of prophesy concerning Trigon forwards, backwards, and sideways. I was his key once. That door should now be closed forever, according to all sources."

Cyborg was looking at Raven intently. "You said that in the past, the runes were some sort of warning, correct? What exactly did it say?"

"That's something I can't tell you, I'm afraid. I never learned to read that particular writing. I learned what I know about them on Azarath, when I was growing up. And the language they're written in is a forbidden tongue. No one outside of Azar herself and her immediate circle of acolytes was ever taught it. From what I understand, they were the result of some sort of attempt the Monks of Azar made to magically contain my father's legacy, the demonic part of my nature. It was doomed to fail, I suppose. prophesy can't be stopped," she finished sadly.

Beast Boy reclaimed his girlfriend's hand. "Yes, but the prophesy didn't say everything, did it? Yeah, Trigon returned, but you whipped his tail! If that is the case this time, you can do it again, I'm sure!" Raven smiled wanly at his encouragement.

Cyborg was still scrutinizing Raven. "Let me see your arms and legs, please."

With obvious reluctance, the telepathic girl shifted her blue cloak aside, revealing the rest of the glowing red markings covering her body.

Cyborg nodded. "Thought so. The marks are different."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"It subtle, but the markings are not the same as last time. This script appears to be very complex, but I have the advantage of having an electronic memory. I know exactly what the marks looked like, last time. And these aren't the same."

Robin was thinking hard. "A spell?"

"Seems likely."

"Then we need to know exactly what these marks mean, this time. That might give us some clue as to what's happening." He turned back to the half-demon girl. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Still a little weak," Raven admitted. "Of course, that could be because I kinda lost control of myself, a bit earlier, and trashed my room." She flushed slightly. "Sorry."

"It's alright, Raven," Robin said gently, "You've got nothing to apologize for. The person who did this, though... that's another matter." He bowed his head in thought a moment. "Well, we certainly have plenty of enemies, and plenty that have some skill with magic. Any in particular strike you as likely, Raven?"

She shook her head. "None in particular. And this sort of thing is pretty advanced. I can't think of anyone with this sort of skill, right off the top of my head."

Robin continued to think. "And you say that you're just feeling weak? I only ask because I'm trying to figure out what possible motive the caster has."

"Just a little weak, and shaken. I don't feel ill or anything. And I have no way to tell what the intent of this spell is."

"And none of us can read the marks," the Boy Wonder said, "So we'll have to turn to someone who does."

Starfire looked hopeful. "You know of such a person?"

"Maybe," he replied. "I have a few resources to check with." He turned and started to walk towards the door to the elevator. "I'm probably going to be working the rest of the night," he said as he left. "The rest of you should get some rest." He paused before entering the elevator. "Don't worry Raven, we'll get to the bottom of this, I swear."

"Thank you," she replied.

The doors slid shut with a hiss, and Robin bowed his head, turning the idea over in his mind. The person he was hoping to go to for aid, he was most... eccentric, to put it mildly. Not to mention the fact that Robin didn't even know how to contact him. Much as it annoyed him, he knew he'd have to contact a certain person that he was not anxious to talk to, in order to find out how to reach him.

Robin clenched his jaw. This was going to be a very long night.

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The four remaining Titans lingered in the common room following their leader's departure. Beast Boy could tell that Cyborg and Starfire could plainly see Raven's distress, despite her best efforts at remaining her usual calm self. Everyone wanted to be able to say something, _anything, _to make her feel better. It just seemed like everyone was too shaken to come up with much in the way of soothing words; the memory of Raven summoning her father with the crimson glyphs ablaze on her body still haunted Beast Boy, and he was sure it was no different for his friends. Soothing words seemed to be eluding them all.

Feeling the awkwardness, Beast Boy decided to take steps. "All right, guys, Raven's had a long day, and I think it's time we let her rest. We'll all talk more about this in the morning, Staying up all night and angsting isn't going to help."

Cyborg nodded. "That reminds me... you'd better check on Rob in a bit, Star. You know how he gets, sometimes."

"I shall do so," the alien girl replied. "He does tend to take things too far, sometimes. I will make sure he gets some sleep tonight." She drifted over to where Raven still sat on the couch and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear, friend Raven, we shall find the cause of your troubles, and defeat it together!" Starfire's voice rang with her trademark optimism.

"Thank you, Starfire. I'm sure we will," Raven said in a quiet voice.

Starfire turned and floated off to the elevator. Cyborg gave them all a broad smile, before he too turned and left.

Beast Boy turned to his girlfriend, and offered a gentle smile. "So, walk you to your room?"

Raven chewed her lip, her expression showing discomfort. "I'm not sure I really want to sleep there tonight. My powers went crazy, and trashed my room. And I don't really feel up to cleaning it right now. I might just sleep on the couch tonight."

Beast Boy took her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I gotcha. We have some blankets in the closet, hang on..." After dashing off to the closet on the other end of room, he returned with a blanket and pillows. "Here ya go. If you want, I can get you some pajamas from your room, or something."

"No, I'll be fine in my normal clothes." Raven removed her cloak and boots, and settled the blanket and pillows at one end of the curved couch.

Beast Boy helped her get comfortable as best he could. "Hey, I can't see the marks anymore... that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I honestly don't know, Garfield," Raven's face was a mask of studied expressionlessness. "I've gotten myself a bit more under control now, that might be why they've faded. I was worked up earlier. But this whole situation... I don't know anything about what's going to happen. That's what worries me, not knowing."

Beast Boy laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to worry. We've faced so much already, and came out on top, we'll get through this just fine. Promise." He rose to his feet. "If you need anything, just call me. I'll be here in a flash." He turned to leave the room.

"Garfield?"

The young Titan stopped and turned back to her at her call. "What's up, Rae?"

Raven could feel herself trembling just a bit. She took a deep breath to calm herself; It wouldn't do to have her powers blow any nearby furniture to dust. "Would you..." She stalled, her throat feeling dry, her quavering voice betraying her. "I'd like for you to stay with me, if you could. I... just don't want to be alone, right now."

The green boy looked at her for a long moment, his eyes soft. "If it's going to make you feel better, I'll be happy to stay."

She shifted a bit on the couch, to make room for him. She felt him lay down behind her, and after dimming the lights with the remote control, she felt his arms gently slip around her, and hold her close. She closed her eyes, feeling secure for the first time in hours.

"Thank you, Garfield."

He said nothing, simply holding her until sleep claimed them both.

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Bright shafts of light streaming through the window coaxed Beast Boy out of a deep sleep the next morning. Slowly, he raised a hand to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes, and looked down at Raven, still nestled against his chest with her head peeking out from the covers.

He found his eyes lingering on her face. Raven, by necessity, kept herself under rigid emotional controls. It was the way she had been raised, after all; discipline had been the central fact of her life since childhood. But, while immersed in slumber, it seemed that the armor she encased herself in was softened, and one could see the person underneath.

Beast Boy couldn't keep the smile off his face. Indeed they had come a long way, in the few months since the early, awkward days of their relationship. It was a delicate ongoing process for them to get to know one another better, as they both had more that their fair share of issues to get past, but it was all worth it, when it lead to moments like this.

Being so wrapped up in adoring the beautiful girl sleeping in his arms, Beast Boy almost didn't hear the door open and someone enter the room. He raised his head in time to see Robin standing in front of them, a look of slack-jawed bewilderment on his face.

Beast Boy, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, could only return the look for a moment. "Ummm...yeah, hi," he finally managed to squeak out.

Robin still looked thoroughly bewildered. "Beast Boy, you... Raven... cuddling?"

"Uh, I guess..."

"Wh-how?"

"She just didn't want to be alone, that's all. She has been through an awful lot. Now we should just let her rest, Rob." Carefully he disentangled himself from the slumbering girl, and pulled on his boots before making his way to the kitchen area, Robin following him and taking a seat at the table.

The masked Titan smirked. "Didn't mean to surprise you like that, I just didn't think you and Raven were quite so... affectionate yet."

"Well, this was a special case," Beast Boy replied as he put a kettle of water on the stove and turned on the heat. The green boy suddenly gave Robin a knowing look. " And you're one to talk... "

"What do you mean?" Robin ask, puzzled.

"I mean you and Starfire, man," Beast Boy said smugly. He sniffed the air theatrically. "My nose don't lie. I detect the cinnamon-y sweet aroma of a certain red-haired alien princess wafting off of you. So, you were in close quarters with her recently," he said with a grin. "Or you've been sampling her perfumes and soaps, which is a bit weird, dude, but hey, I'm not one to judge."

Robin's blush betrayed his embarrassment. "Starfire checked in on me last night, as I was working on something to help Raven," he said. "I tried to tell her to go ahead and turn in for the night, but she was stubborn, and stayed up with me the whole night, until I fell asleep."

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Beast Boy said with mocking glee. "Did she tuck you in too?"

Robin's blush deepened, and he looked down at the table.

Beast Boy's eyebrows shot up. "She _did?"_

"I fell asleep!" he protested. "I just woke up in my bed. She must have put me in there when I passed out." He looked rather curiously at Beast Boy, who was still puttering around the stove. "And are you making tea?"

He nodded. "For Raven. She likes tea when she first wakes up. We usually have a cup in the morning, and talk a little." He made a wry face. "She says I'm slightly less annoying when I'm still half asleep. "

"Learning to like tea?"

"Well, it's talking to Raven that I like." The kettle began to whistle, and he turned the heat down, and fetched the teacups down from the cupboard. "Would you care for some?"

"No thanks," he replied politely, "I'm a coffee drinker, myself."

Raven drifted into the kitchen, fastening her blue cloak. With her hood down, the two boys could see no traces of the magical runes upon her ashen skin.

"Good morning!" Beast Boy smiled as he handed her a steaming mug of herbal tea. "How are you feeling?"

She nodded politely and took a seat next to him. "A little better."

Robin looked at her with sly smile. "Did you sleep well?" he asked with studied mildness.

"Well enough," she replied. Then she seemed to catch Robin's mirthful look, and noted Beast Boy's somewhat embarrassed expression. "Oh, I see," she said. "You boys were talking then. I'm sorry I interrupted. I can go talk to Starfire. We talk every day, you know." Beast Boy noted her deceptively offhand tone.

"You do?" Robin seemed somewhat surprised.

"Indeed. That Starfire does like to talk, quite a bit. Just girl stuff, really. Music, TV... boyfriends, that sort of thing. Yep, not many secrets between us girls." She gave the Titan's leader a very direct look.

Robin suddenly appeared somewhat uncomfortable. "Yeah... I have to go check on something... I'll catch up with you guys later." Robin rose and left the kitchen in somewhat of a hurry.

Beast Boy chuckled a bit. "Well, that's a first. I've never seen anyone manage to spook him like that."

Raven smirked. "I figured from his expression that he saw us on the couch."

"He did, he already cracked on me a little bit. Still, it's good to see him with a bit of sense of humor. Starfire's a good influence on him." Beastboy paused a moment. "So, do you two really talk about us?" he asked a bit tentatively.

"Do you really want to know?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Probably not."

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That afternoon, Robin called the entire team into the common room. As they entered, the other Titans were surprised to see him joined by a visitor, a tall man seemingly in his early forties, his dark auburn hair with a prominent white streak, dressed casually in a tweed jacket and black shirt.

Robin addressed them as they took their seats. "Last night, after what Raven told us, I decided check into a few resources. From what Raven told us, it sounded like we needed someone with some expertise in demons." He nodded to their visitor. "This is Jason Blood, an expert on magic and the occult that I came to know when I was in Gotham City. I think he may be able to help Raven."

Their guest rose and nodded politely. "Thank you, Robin." His voice was deep, and had an accent that seemed to betray a British origin. "I will do what I can to help of course." He turned to to Raven. "I do have a great deal of personal experience with demons, if you will excuse that term, Raven. Actually, I do think that you are a rather unique individual. I've never encountered a hybrid such as yourself before."

Raven seemed a little nervous about all the attention. "I don't recall hearing about another like me. I had heard that Trigon had attempted to sire offspring before, but, I don't think any of the previous attempts were successful."

"Human and demon biology are inherently quite different." Blood observed as he opened a leather satchel he carried with him. "Trying to meld the two would not be an exact science, to say the least. Trigon's followers went to a great deal of trouble to bring his gem into the world."

Beast Boy, seated next to her on the couch, put a protective arm around her shoulders. "These marks don't mean he's coming back, do they?" he asked.

Blood considered it a moment. "I think you can let your mind be at ease in that regard. If a being like that were trying to enter this world, I'd have felt it. Powerful creatures like Trigon make sizable waves, to say the least. And it requires a lot of power to open a portal for something like that."

Cyborg frowned. "If that's the case, where were you last time? We sure could've used your help, to say the least!"

"That situation was a mystical powder keg; if people such as myself or Dr. Fate or Zatanna had intervened, the potential for disaster would have been even greater. Also the prophesy involved made clear that our efforts would have been futile, anyway. So long as his gem was involved, Trigon could not be stopped by any of us. She was the only one who could end it. Her defiance of her father saved us all." From his satchel, Blood withdrew a large, irregularly-shape crystal. "I guess the first thing to investigate would be these marks Robin spoke of. They faded away quickly after they appeared?" he asked Raven.

"It took a few hours. They seemed to dim as I calmed down. That leads me to believe that my powers somehow made them visible. I haven't tried doing anything with them since, I was worried it might not be safe."

The mystic nodded. "Very prudent. But, I think we can make them visible without any sort of risk. This crystal can make most form of arcane glyphs appear to the naked eye, without making their effects active, by changing the nature of the light in the area. It's used for detecting wards. Shall I proceed?"

At Raven's nod, Blood raised the crystal, holding out towards where she was seated. _"Elaiphthios!" _he said in a tone of command.

The crystal glowed a pale cerulean and the lights in the room seemed to dim. As they watched, the runes re-appeared on Raven's skin, this time glowing the same hue as the crystal in Blood's hand, rather than their usual angry scarlet. Blood carefully inspected the markings, saying nothing as they all waited.

Starfire finally broke the tense silence. "Can you tell us what the strange markings mean?"

Blood was silent a moment. "No. I can't read them."

Beast Boy sighed. "That's it then?"

Jason Blood stiffened as if visibly steeling himself for something unpleasant. "The language is difficult one, generally not seen except amongst those most closely associated with demons. I do know someone who can read them, but... he's not someone I'm anxious to call upon for aid."

Robin's face was grim "You mean Etrigan."

Blood nodded. "Yes. I have no doubts he can read the marks."

Cyborg was puzzled. "Etrigan? Who's that?"

"A demon," Blood replied. "Long ago, he was mystically linked to me, and I can summon him when there is need."

"We'll have to deal with that," Cyborg said.

Robin looked at his teammates. "Etrigan can be unpleasant. Once Blood summons him, try to stay calm. He likes getting under your skin. Don't let him." He nodded to Blood. "Whenever you're ready."

Blood took a deep breath. "This is likely to be... ostentatious. Don't be alarmed." He then spoke in resounding tones.

"_Gone, gone, the form of man,_

_Rise the demon, Etrigan!"_

As they watched, Blood's body was suffused in flames, the intense light blinding their eyes. After several seconds, the flames died, and a hideous form stood before them in Blood's place.

The creature was stocky, with a massively muscled frame, dressed in a red tunic and short cape. It's skin was yellow and appeared to be scaly. Small, burning red eyes peered at them malevolently from a toad-like face, fanged and horned.

Robin stepped forward. "Etrigan... we need your assistance."

Etrigan growled.

"_Insolent mortal, state your reason, _

_to summon Etrigan, Prince of Demons."_

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "This clown rhymes? You gotta be joking..."

Robin pointed to Raven. "We need you to tell us what those glyphs mean."

Etrigan shot the gray girl a disdainful look.

"_I have no reason to lend my aid, _

_to a pathetic half-blood maid."_

Robin was clearly losing his patience. "Etrigan, Jason Blood swore to aid us. You are bound to him, therefore, you are bound to his promise."

Etrigan glared back at him.

Robin met his glare with one of his own. "I know your weaknesses, Etrigan. I'm sure I can have Cyborg find something made of iron in the Tower..."

The mention of iron seemed to mollify the demon some. He gave the marks on Raven a brief glance.

"_Marks to bind demon's might,_

_fell dweomer to contain the shadow light."_

Robin considered the hideous creature's words. "Raven, using as little power as you can, try to pick up that lamp," he said, gesturing to a nearby table lamp.

"I'll try," she said. She stared at the lamp, concentrating, A black glow surrounded it, but it only wobbled slightly from side to side, and failed to float into the air.

After several more seconds of apparent effort, Raven sighed. "He's right. I can draw on the magic, but it's slips away from me. It's like trying to hold water in the palm of your hand. Someone's trying to de-power me," she said grimly.

"Who would do that?" Beast Boy asked. "Well, we have plenty of enemies, but not many magical ones. And which ones would want to go after Raven herself?"

"We can find out, perhaps" Raven said. "No two magic users do things quite alike, and all spells have a signature to them." She turned to Etrigan. "A demon of your station should be sensitive to such things. Can you tell who did this?"

Etrigan grimaced, as if offended that she addressed him directly, but he examined the marks still glowing upon her once again.

"_Demon's sight can see the one who's rendered your powers frozen,_

_Brother Sebastian, lord of the Eighth Devil's Chosen."_

Etrigan turned back to Robin.

"_This working is beyond my power to undo._

_I've told you all I can, my task here is through."_

"Very well," Robin replied. "Leave, Etrigan."

Etrigan growled at his curt dismissal.

_"Gone, gone, O Etrigan,_

_Rise once more the form of man!"_

A pillar of flames surrounded the demon. When they died away, Jason Blood stood before them again.

Beast Boy, again with his arm around Raven, shook his head. "That's a guy who's got to be no fun at parties."

Cy stood and began to walk towards the computer on the wall. "Now we just need to find out who this 'Brother Sebastian of the Eighth Devil' person is."

Raven spoke in a small voice. "I can already shed some light on that. The Eighth Devil is one of Trigon's titles. His chosen are his followers. They were the ones that helped Trigon...sire me." The look on her face made it clear that this was an uncomfortable topic, and Beast Boy pulled her even closer to him.

"That may be able to get us started. We just need to find these creeps now," Cyborg said, clearly trying to cheer the empathic girl up.

Jason Blood was rubbing his temple, clearly still affected by the effort of summoning Etrigan. "Actually, I can help with that. The Chosen were driven from Gotham City a little over a year ago, shortly after you defeated Trigon. They seem to have gone into hiding. Their ranks were weakened by infighting amongst their leadership some years ago, and they were a shadow of their former self. That's why they were not able to do much damage when their master manifested himself in our world."

Raven looked puzzled. "Infighting? From what I've been able to find out, there wasn't much room for dissent within the Chosen."

"True, but one of their leaders abandoned their old ways, and for some reason became infatuated with science and technology as a path to power. He was a strange fellow. Actually, I'd heard you may have already met him, and defeated him."

Robin looked confused. "We have?"

"Yes, he was the former H.I.V.E. Headmaster. Called himself Brother Blood."

Robin shook his head. "You have to be kidding," he said in a crestfallen voice.

"Whats wrong?" Raven asked.

Starfire sighed. "Brother Blood is dead. He was killed in prison. Robin and I found out yesterday from the police. I fear we will get no information from him now."

A dead silence fell over the room.

"There goes our lead," Robin groused.

"Wait a sec," Cyborg said. "I have an idea..."

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes

Alright, first off, let me apologise for Etrigan's dialog. A poet, I most certainly am not.

I'm continuing to try to reconcile bits of the comic-verse with the show, which is difficult, because the show totally botched Brother Blood, IMHO. But, this is the best I can do...

Anyway, the next updates should be quicker. I hope you enjoyed this and look forward to hearing out of you in the coming chapters!

Regards,

The Doctor

10 September 2006


End file.
